pail

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An open round container with a handle across the top, used to carry water, sand or other loose things.

   Grammar: Often followed by of to give the contents: a pail of water.

   Patterns

   • a pail of something
   • fill a pail

   The children filled a pail with sand and built a castle.

   She carried a pail of fresh milk from the barn.

   He left a pail of paint by the door.

2. 2nouncountable

   The amount that a pail holds.

   Grammar: Used in the form a pail of something, mainly for liquids.

   Patterns

   • a pail of something

   It took three pails of water to put out the small fire.

   The cow gave a full pail of milk each morning.

   He poured a pail of cold water over the old stone step.

Word forms

Common combinations

a pail of water

She carried a pail of water to the garden.

a pail of milk

A pail of fresh milk sat on the table.

a tin pail

The old man brought lunch in a tin pail.

a pail and shovel

We packed a pail and shovel for the beach.

fill a pail

Fill a pail with soapy water before washing the floor.

Synonyms and how they differ

bucket

Bucket is the more common everyday word in British English, while pail sounds a bit old-fashioned or rural.

can

Can is a general container and rarely the handled kind meant by pail.

tub

Tub is wider and shorter and often lacks a handle, so it suits storing rather than carrying.

Word family

pailful noun

the amount that fills a pail

dinner pail noun

a metal container for carrying a worker's lunch

Commonly confused: pail or pale? pail or peal?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pail”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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